Method of knitting



F. E. PAUL 2,984,999

METHOD oF KNITTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 23, 1961 Filed Oct. 22. 1958 INVENTOR.

FREDERIC E. PAUL nl Y s X, M 4 v mlwin May 23, 1961 F. E. PAUL METHOD OF KNITTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 22, 1958 INVENTOR. FREDERIC E PA UL.

United States Patent C METHOD or KMTIING Frederic E. Paul, Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to Wiidman Jacquard Co., Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Penn- Sylvania Filed Get. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 763,875

4 Claims. (Cl. 615-93) This invention pertains to a method of knitting pile fabrics, and more particularly, to such a method by which extremely long pile loops may be formed at each sinker Wale if desired.

It is a general object of the invention to knit pile fabrics with much longer pile loops than have normally been produced and to do that While forming the pile at each sinker Wale and stitch.

A more particular object is that of knitting such fabrics with simple mechanism familiar to most knitters and to obtain a fabrics of high quality while operating the machine at high speed and without more than a minimum of yarn or needle breakage.

Other objects will become apparent from the following detailed disclosure.

Knitted pile fabrics, sometimes referred to as terry or loop cloth, are Very commonly knitted, but knitters have always been governed by very definite limitations in such work. It is not too diiiicult to form such material with pile at every other sinker Wale even though a fairly long pile loop is drawn. fabrics with a pile loop at each sinker stitch provided one is content with relatively short loops only. Even then considerable trouble is experienced so that pile yarns have to be relatively strong and have good knitting characteristics, the speed of the machine not too great and other factors kept Within limits or excessive yarn breakage is encountered. These limitations are so Well understood that it is generally considered that pile fabric in which loops have more than a minimum length must be knitted with pile at every other sinker Wale at best. Often short loops only are knitted in order to hold down yarn breakage. As a result fabrics with long pile loops are not readily obtainable and are almost invariably confined to spaced Wales or stitches so that cover or density is then lacking.

According to the present invention, advantage is taken of certain known mechanism ne-ver before utilized for the purpose and by which very long 1loops may be formed without danger of cutting or breaking yarn and these loops may appear at every sinker stitch. Thus a maximum of cover or density is possible along with more or less unlimited choice as to length of loop.

Diiculties encountered when using ordinary means and methods include as a major problem the breaking of the pile yarn or yarns. This is probably largely due to the fact that 'as in all independent needle or progressive stitch drawing machines, the yarn is reeved through needle hooks and over sinkers or other edges and one may go only so far with that process. The longer the Again, it is possible to produce ice loops drawn, the more severe the action until for every yarn and condition, there is a point at which the length of loop presents a definite barrier to `further progress. The yarn will begin to cut or break and thus commercially practical knitting is no longer feasible.

One way to alleviate this situation so far as the pile loops are concerned is to draw fewer than a maximum. Then the number of points at which yarn is reeved through needle hooks and over sinker or other stitch forming edges is diminished. That is why for the usual mechanism and method most knitting is done with pile loops at spaced wales. lf loops are short the angle assumed by the yarn as it is kinked and the actual speed and distances involved as the yarn is reeved over or through sinkers and hooks is cut and thus little trouble is experienced in drawing the yarn of which the base fabric is formed. There must be more of the pile than base yarn and the longer the pile the greater these limiting factors become.

In overcoming these difficulties to obtain good cover and long pile, the desired conditions have been discovered to be obtainable by coming as closely as possible to drawing each stitch individually, that is, finishing one stitch before another is begun. While that is not completely practical, it is approached rather closely, and at least to that extent that the number of surfaces over which the pile yarn is reeving at any one instant is cut to a practical minimum and, in practice, well below the number of such surfaces usually involved when pursuing the teachings of the prior art.

The invention Will be described in greater detail by reference to the accompanying figures of drawing, Where- Fig. l is a perspective View of the fabric made.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a knitting machine in which the method may be practiced.

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing details incidental to stitch drawing according to the invention.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the mechanism of Fig. 3.

Now referring to Fig. l, a section of fabric is shown having needle Wales 19, i2, 14, etc., and sinker Wales 11, 13, 15, etc. The fabric is seen from the back and pile loops 16 may be seen projecting from each sinker stitch. Here the pile is also evident at every course. The pile is considerably longer, as shown, than is the usual practice even When not formed at every stitch and, of course, the loops of the base yarn 17 would be drawn much tighter in practice and thus the entire fabric would he closed up and since pile yarn is usually fairly bulky, the surface of the fabric may be covered to as great a density as may be required.

Mechanism for knitting this fabric may take the form shown in Fig. 2, for example, and essentially comprises edges such as sinkers or web holders over which the base yarn is measured by the needles in forming the base or ground fabric and more elevated means over which the pile yarn is measured in combination with a needle cam and jack system by which needles are drawn to yform each stitch as nearly independently of its .adjacent stitch as is feasible. More specifically, a cylinder 18 is mounted for rotation with a base ring 19 having a lbearing in a circular, fixed base member 20. Ring 19 is rotated in known manner through a ring gear Z1.

Needles 22 of latch type having butts 23 are slidable in the usual slots in the cylinder and these butts are not acted upon directly through cams as is common practice, but are caused to take their yarns and knit by means hereafter to be described.

Web holders or sinkers 24 of conventional type are slidably carried in a sinker head 25 which is xed to the needle cylinder for rotation with it and a sinker cap 26 with the usual sinker cams acts upon sinker butts in the usual way.

Here it is contemplated that only the base yarn y17 be drawn by measuring it over sinker edges. It is common practice to draw pile loops over specially shaped sinker nibs but to get Very long loops that way unduly high nibs are required which leads to a lack of stability not conducive of good results. Accordingly, a dial 27 is used in which dummy needles 28 are slidably mounted to be moved in and out by cams 29 and 39 in dial cam cap 31. The dial rotates synchronously with the cylinder while the dial cap is stationary. The dummy needles are positioned to project outwardly between needles and between the feeding yarns as will be described, and the pile yarn is drawn over these. The dial may be adjusted vertically thereby to raise or lower the members 28 changing length of pile loops accordingly. These dummy needles are provided with butts 32 by which the cams cause them to pass through the required wave.

To operate the needles a system of levers or pivoted jacks 33 is provided and these levers have the effect of multiplying the motion the latter derive from their operating cams. Each jack is carried in a slot in a supporting ring 34 in turn fixedv upon a ange 35 fixed for rotation with cylinder 18, as shown. Each iack is also formed with a rocking or pivot member 36, a forked end 37 which enters its respective needle slot and engages the butt 23 of that needle, also angularly disposed shank portions 38 and 39 engageable by cams 40 and 41, respectively. Cam 40 depresses needles while cam 41 elevates them. So that the jacks may be guided in their slots to as great an extent as practicable. the ring 34 is circumferentially grooved at its top horizontal face for entry of cams 40 and 41 and also centrally so as to make possible the easy machining of a groove within which the rounded end of members 36 may rock.

A plurality of supporting sections 42 or the like have attached at their upper portions cam plates 43 to which are a'xed the cams 40 and 41, before mentioned. These plates extend inwardly to a point close to the cylinder and in combination with the sections 42 more or less enclose this cam and needle jack system.

While the mechanism described here by way of example involves a movable cylinder dial and jack assembly with tixed cams for operating the instrumentalities, it is to be understood that all this could be reversed.

Cams 4) and 41 are not Very high as compared to the needle stroke effected by them through the motion multiplying jacks, and that, in turn, makes possible much less steep cams so that without an unduly hard cam action a considerable needle movement can be realized. This effect is also realized within a very limited movement of the needles past the yarn feeds (to be described) and the cams are of a much smaller angular extent than would normally be the case as when needle butts are directly engaged by stitch cams. As will presently be seen, this results in much faster stitch drawing and in fact, it is possible to approach closely in actual practice the ideal situation of drawing a single stitch at a time independently of adjacent stitches drawn or to be drawn.

Now, referring to Figs. 3 and 4, which are enlarged views of the parts involved as they function at and adjacent the knitting point, the pile yarn indicated at P is fed through a yarn guide or feeder 44 at an elevation somewhat higher than the level of the dummy needles and about three to four needles in advance of the knitting point, for example.

The base or ground yarn 17 is fed at an elevation slightly above sinkers 24 and below the elements 28 by a specially constructed feeder 45 having an aperture 46 which presents this yarn just in advance of the knitting point by one or two needles. This feeder also carries, either as an integral part or a separate piece attached in any suitable way, an arcuate support 47 for the dummy needles. The latter tend to be bent downwardly slightly as the pile loops are drawn and this ledge prevents that making certain that all pile will be of a uniform length.

As can be seen from these iigures, the yarn 17 is taken by the needles after they have engaged the pile yarn and is drawn over sinker edges to form loops of the base fabric. Since it would serve more to confuse than to aid in these illustrationsthe sinkers are not shown in Fig. 4.

The yarn P is taken in the hooks of the needles just after it emerges from the yarn guide 44 and these needles at this point are moving down slowly. They do, however, accelerate rapidly and after the yarn is pulled down into contact with an element 2S the needle draw is so rapid that a complete stitch is drawn before the next following needle pulls its stitch to more than half its length. There is frictional contact between the yarn P at two needle hooks and two elements 23 only at any one time. Furthermore, needle 22', for example, will complete its stitch before the next needle 22" has drawn its loop to any great extent. Thus the yarn is being reeved through the hook of needle 22' and over the element to which numeral 23 is applied and under the hook of needle 22 and just before the stitch drawn by needle 22' is completed, the yarn begins to be bent over the next element 28'. There is friction only at two needle hooks and two elements 23, that at the hook of needle 22" and element 28' being slight since the angle made as the yarn is kinked there is not great until the loop at needle 22' has been completed.

It has been found in practice that drawing long pile loops in this manner does not strain them to a point where diiculty is experienced and they may be drawn at every sinker wale so that a maximum of cover is obtained. Materials of all types may be knitted in this way and the pile may be left in the form of loops or may be sheared, treated by any of the usual processes including liquid treatment, electrostatic control for causing fibers to stand erect in the case of certain synthetics. The loops may be subjected to a napping or garnetting process either with or without shearing and/or other treatments.

While certain proportions and timing of parts have been set forth by way of example, it is to be understood that a certain amount of deviation is possible while still remaining within the contines of the inventive concept.

Mechanism and the method practiced have been treated here as they apply at a single feeding or knitting station, but it is to be understood that the method is most advantageously carried out in multi-feed machines in which the present parts are duplicated as may be required.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A method of knitting pile fabric by drawing stitches of a base fabric and pile loops of substantial length as compared to said base fabric stitches over instrumentalities interposed between needles which comprises the step of substantially multiplying a cam `action as it becomes effective on the needles to an extent that a complete pile yarn stitch is formed before the next succeed- 5 ing pile yarn stitch has been drawn to more than onehalf its ultimate length.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said stitches of base fabric are drawn over sinker edges and said pile loops are drawn over stitch forming members more elevated than said sinker edges.

3. The method of claim 1 where in the pile stitch forming function is coniined to a space of not more than two needles.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pile yarn is reeved about no more than four stitch forming surfaces during the formation of any stitch.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

